Gareth A Davies has been a sports journalist for The Daily Telegraph since 1993. He is Boxing and MMA Correspondent. Has been intrigued by fight and combat sports from a young age. Personal sporting passions are rugby, cricket, and martial arts. Also covers the Paralympic Games. Hates getting his hair cut. Follow on Twitter @GarethADaviesDT

UFC 142: Beached in Rio but no holiday as MMA booms again in Brazil

Jose Aldo works out for the media and fans during the UFC 142 Open Workouts at Barra de Tijuca Beach on January 11, 2012 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

The city of Rio is already buzzing ahead of the event this weekend, headlined by a UFC featherweight title fight between champion Aldo, of Rio, and top contender Chad Mendes, and featuring an outstanding middleweight co-main event with former UFC champion Vitor Belfort against rising middleweight prospect Anthony “Rumble” Johnson.

Can pocket rocket Chad Mendez trouble UFC champ Jose Aldo ?

The UFC’s return to Rio for the second time inside six months – after an absence of 13 and a half years – could provide more questions than it produces answers. Can the pocket rocket wrestler Chad Mendes pull out the stops and defeat Jose Aldo, in my view sluggish in his last two fights and still to show the depth of his skillset since becoming the UFC's first 145lb champion.
Aldo looks to defend his title for a fifth consecutive time, which would tie the mark for most consecutive WEC/UFC featherweight title defences. Aldo has gone largely unchallenged since making his debut under the ZUFFA banner, and is currently riding a 13-fight win streak. The Brazilian-born Aldo fights in his native country for the first time since 2007.
Aldo's most notable wins include recent victories over Kenny Florian, Manny Gamburyan, Mark Hominick and Urijah Faber. Mendes puts his undefeated record on the line in his biggest fight to date. An All-American collegiate wrestler at Cal Poly, Mendes is a training partner of Faber's at Team Alpha Male in Sacramento. Mendes has won all 11 of his pro fights, with his last four wins coming via decision.
Mendes, accompanied by training partner and former UFC lightweight Justin Buchholz, the 26-year-old wrestling standout from Cal Poly said he has never been better prepared. “I train with some of the best guys in the world,” Mendes, who plans to train in the wee hours of the morning this week to prepare for Saturday’s main starting time of 1 a.m. local time. “Jose Aldo is the champion for a reason, but I’ve never been more ready in my life. Saturday can’t get here soon enough.”

Featherweight champion Aldo is taking his first fight in Brazil in nearly five years very seriously. Already one of the most versatile fighters in the sport, the 25-year-old Rio resident has enlisted the help of former lightweight title challenger Gray Maynard to help improve his wrestling skills.

Maynard, a standout wrestler at Michigan State University, was happy to oblige and has spent the last three weeks training with the champion at the Nova Uniao gym. “Rio has been a great experience,” Maynard said. “I’ve helped Aldo with his preparations and had the chance to train with guys like (UFC bantamweight) Renan Barao. I’ve learned so much from “Dede” (Nova Uniao owner and renowned trainer André Pederneiras). This has been an awesome experience.”

How will Anthony Johnson fare moving up to middleweight against Vitor Belfort ?

It could be seen as a great move for Johnson, up from welterweight and into his rightful weight division.
The key for Johnson is to impose himself early, weather the storm from Belfort, and look to smother Belfort by taking him down. Belfort is the perfect fight for Johnson to stamp his mark at middleweight, after Johnson had dominant wins over Dan Hardy and Charlie Breneman last year after 17 months out with the meniscus tear on his left knee. But this
is stepping up a different level, and Belfort will be a handful on his return to fight at home in the UFC.

This is an emotional return for Belfort in his home town. “It feels great to be fighting here and I’m happy to welcome my friends from UFC to Rio,” said Belfort, who along with noted nutritionist Mike Dolce, has been in Brazil for several weeks acclimating to the local climate. “I spend a lot of time in Las Vegas training and preparing for fights, but Rio is my home. I’m so motivated for this fight.”

Belfort, the former UFC light heavyweight champion, is 2-1 in the UFC since returning to the Octagon in 2009. Each of Belfort's last four fights have ended in the first round, posting a 3-1 mark in those matches. Belfort knocked out Yoshihiro Akiyama 1:52 into the first round this past August. This is Johnson's middleweight debut. The veteran of 10 UFC fights has struggled with his weight in the past, fighting mostly as a welterweight (170 lbs.). Johnson defeated Brenneman via head kick in his last bout back in October.

TIME FOR TERRY ETIM TO STEP FORWARD

Can rising star Terry Etim do what fellow British fighter Ross Pearson couldn't do against Edson Barboza, by beating the Brazilian to propel himself up the highly-competitive lightweight rankings…?

Etim against Barboza could be a classic. Etim needs to keep his cool, but really stamp his mark in this fight.
A fantastic match-up, because Barboza is so highly-rated, and undefeated for 9 contests since debut. Etim could advance his cause in the lightweight division, with a clutch of great match-ups ahead of him, if he
comes out of this contest with colours. Barboza is 3-0 in his UFC career since his debut in November 2010. Barboza scored a split decision victory in his last bout against Ross Pearson this past August. Etim had a successful return in November after not having fought since April 2010, defeating Edward Faaloloto by guillotine choke. Etim has won the UFC's Submission of the Night award in three of his last four fights. (I will be posting an interview with Colin Heron, Etim's coach on here on Friday).

Brazilians flourish on main card – with Erick Silva one to keep an eye on.

Mike Massenzio vs Rousimar Palhares (middleweight bout)
Massenzio, 29, 6ft tall, is 2-3 in his UFC career, 3-4 in his last seven with a 13-5 mark overall. Palhares, a submission specialist, has won his last two fights. He's 6-2 in his UFC career, with his lone losses coming to Dan Henderson and Nate Marquardt. Who's betting against 'The Tree Stump' not to get a submission in that one ?

Carlo Prater vs Erick Silva (welterweight bout)
Veteran Prater, 30 a jiu jitsy and luta livre blavk belt, makes his UFC debut. He has won his last four fights, each by submission. Silva makes his second UFC appearance, after winning his UFC debut 40 seconds into the first round with a knockout of Luis Ramos. My view is that Silva is special, and could be one of the figures who makes 2012 a major year for the Brazilians.

UFC HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION JUNIOR DOS SANTOS SHOWS UP AFTER SURGERY

Rain showers didn’t stop UFC heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos from testing the waters at Barra de Tijuca beach in Rio. The 27-year-old champion is recovering quickly from recent knee surgery, and will return to defend the title against Alistair Overeem. “My knee feels great and I’m already boxing and strength training,” dos Santos said. “It’s great to be a part of this event in Rio this week. The kids had a great time surfing and I loved being out there with them.”